Tuesday, 9 July 2013

ABC Wednesday, Z for Zoo

Quoll. By Steve Parish

Photo by Steve Parish

The zoo or zoological gardens in the ancient times

Wikipedia says:

"The predecessor of the zoological garden is the menagerie,
which has a long history from the ancient world to modern times. The
oldest known zoological collection was revealed during excavations at Hierakonpolis, Egypt in 2009, of a ca. 3500 B.C. menagerie. The exotic animals included hippos, hartebeest, elephants, baboons and wildcats. Well-known collectors of animals included King Solomon of the Kingdom of Israel and Judah,and King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia. By the 4th century BCE, zoos existed in most of the Greek city states; Alexander the Great
is known to have sent animals that he found on his military expeditions
back to Greece. The Roman emperors kept private collections of animals
for study or for use in the arena, the latter faring notoriously poorly."

Medieval England

"Henry I of England kept a collection of animals at his palace in Woodstock, which reportedly included lions, leopards, and camels. The most prominent collection in medieval England was in the Tower of London, created as early as 1204 by King John I. Henry III received a wedding gift in 1235 of three leopards from Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor,
and in 1264, the animals were moved to the Bulwark, renamed the Lion
Tower, near the main western entrance of the Tower. It was opened to the
public during the reign of Elizabeth I in the 16th century."

Emoes

In Tasmania we visited the Wing's Wildlife Park, which has a collection of animals living in Australia and especially in Tasmania. Some of them I already showed in my previous entries, like: Tasmanian Devils, Wombats , Koalas, Echidnas,Quolls, but also domestic animals like goats and swans. So I want to call it a small zoo.

Tasmanian Devil

Wombat

Wombat

Koala

Echidna

With thanks to Denise Nesbitt, who created ABC, and Roger, who took over from her. For more interesting ABC posts click on the logo in the sidebar. This week we are looking for words beginning with Z.

Those are the greatest animals Wil...I didn't know all that about the history of zoos and I thank you for teaching me (in such a painless and well-illustrated way)....We toured the Tower of London with a guide and all that, but I didn't learn that it once housed exotic animals. (They probably told me, but I was overwhelmed with information!)

Love all your animals -- would love to see them 'in person' (I hAve seen koalas at one of our Zoos, somewhere, probably San Francisco.)

I loved reading the history of the menagerie. You always put such thought and research into your posts! The poor animals in those early days didn't have proper habitats for sure as they were on display and you have to feel so sorry for them! Loved your photos! Can't get over how cute the Tasmanian Devil and the Wombat are! I didn't make it through to Z but will try to join in again soon as we start over! All my best.

A lot of people are against the idea of zoos but if they are well maintained and the animals are cared for, I think they are great.There are animals that I would never be able to see on my own.Love some of those photos of animals with exotic names.

Great zoo photos! The wombat is just the cutest!I named my blog Lea's Menagerie because I thought when I started it that it would be about animals, but as it turns out it is more about plants!Have a wonderful day!LeaLea's Menagerie

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

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About Me

I was born in Rotterdam in December, 1933, raised in Indonesia on the Isle of Java. During the war I was a prisoner of a Japanese concentration camp for women. After the war my parents, sisters and I returned to the Netherlands. I became a teacher, married, got three children and five grandchildren. One daughter lives in Australia, where I regularly visit her. My husband died in 1999 and has not seen our youngest grandchildren.

En himmel full av stjerner

A heaven full of starsBlue seas as far as you can seeA world where flowers growCan you ask for anything more?We shall live togetherEvery sister and every brotherSmall children of the rainbowAnd a blossoming world.